My Fave Girls + Beach Time = Perfect Weekend!!!

This weekend was absolutely amazing!  My girlfriends Katie, Cara and Preethi flew to JA from NYC for quite the tropical adventure :)  The best part was that we had a CAR (with yours truly behind the wheel!) so we really got to see Jamaica thoroughly!

First off, this is how much my friends love me / how much I love them... they brought me my FAVORITE cupcakes, hot from NYC!!!  YUM.

MY FAVORITE CUPCAKE!

Friday started with a whirlwind tour of Kingston.  First, we had lunch at my favorite spot - Shanty Man :)  The girls loved the ital food and of course, the views of the city!

Lunch at Shanty-Man!

The whole crew!

Ash + Anita at Bob Marley Museum... Recognize the Pic?

After stuffing our faces, we mosied over to the famous Bob Marley museum.  Though I had been for a documentary screening, this was the first time I had taken the tour!  We saw Bob's records, tons of newspaper articles from all over the world, photos of his performances, the  recording studio, the room where he was when he was shot, and of course, his favorite front stoop.  We learned all about his adventures as an artist, up until his death at a young age from cancer.

We <3 Bob

Next stop was Devon House for some delicious fruity ice cream and relaxation :)

Devon House!

We of course, couldn't complete Kingston without a stop at Scotchies for dinner!  We enjoyed some delicious jerk chicken with guava juice and coconut water.  Then of course, we played some dominoes!

In an effort to show my friends the nightlife, we made it out to the bar Christopher's, and then to the nightclub Quad to watch some amazing dancers and listen to the latest dancehall songs.

Ladies Night Out!

After a late night out, we woke up early to... drive to PORTLAND!  Portland is the parish located at the northeast part of Jamaica.  It is known to be one of the most beautiful sights in the world, as it is extremely green and natural / less developed.  The drive itself is beautiful, as you travel through the mountains and rainforest to cut north, and then along the blue coast!  We even saw a rainbow!


The drive on the way was incredibly intense - the road was narrow and windy, filled with potholes and people!  Even worse, it was raining heavily (monsooning?) and parts of the road were flooded.  But with dancehall music blaring and an entire crew of supporters (Cara had the map, Katie watched for people, and Preethi... took pictures? :) And when we got to Goblin Hill, where we were staying, it felt victorious!

Starving, we drove to Frenchman's Cove for a delicious lunch, along a beautiful cove...

Frenchman's Cove!

We love beach!

We then went for a long drive along the coast, through the town of Port Antonio and the marina; of course, we stopped to take pictures along the way.




The villa we stayed at was beautiful!  It came with its own kitchen, dining room, and living room, all opening up to a gorgeous view of green lawns and beaches beyond.

Beautiful island next to Goblin Hill

View from our Villa!

Plus the grounds had the cutest swingset and hammock... talk about relaxing!

Swing!

Cara got some AIR!

Katie looks comfy :)

We decided to attend the resort's cocktail party, where we had Jamaican rum punch and some tasty coconut chips!  Some fabulous musicians were playing reggae (of course, some Bob Marley favorites!) as we swayed along.

TreeHouse Bar (Built around a FIG TREE!)

Rum + Coconut Chips...

Dinner that evening was delicious!  We had a home cooked Jamaican meal, sitting outside under the stars and listening to the waves.  The highlight was desert - sugary baked bananas covered in coconut cream.  YUMMMMMY!  We finished the night up by having some wine (from California!!) in our living room, reminiscing about our adventures in New York.

We woke up early Sunday, determined to get as much sun as possible!  After a delicious home-cooked breakfast of eggs and all types of fresh fruits, we headed to the infamous Blue Lagoon!  This is essentially a closed-off cove where saltwater meets freshwater and it is particularly deep.  These factors cause it to be bright blue, almost neon!  We sailed into the Blue Lagoon upon... a bamboo raft!

The Blue Lagoon!

D, our bamboo raft driver!

My girls... and the endless ocean!

There was a small mineral bath near the lagoon so we of course spent a few minutes in it.  Our guide said that the water makes you extremely healthy :)  They had a cute little tire and swing-like thing hanging from the trees, for us to play on!

In The Mineral Bath!

Apt. 15k!

We spent the rest of the time swimming around the Blue Lagoon.  Our guide told us that certain parts of it have known to develop whirlpools depending on the time of day, which is so scary!  He said that once he got caught in one and had to call for help!  So we of course stayed in the safe area, enjoying the sun in our faces!

Before we grabbed lunch, we decided to frolick along one last beach - San San Beach - and have our own personal photoshoot :)

We love the sun... can you tell?

Silly girls.

Preethi and the Ocean!

BOSTON JERK!

For lunch, we hit up to the town of Boston for the infamous Boston Jerk - supposedly the best jerk in all of Jamaica.  The set-up was so cute, with a bunch of open air restaurants where you could eat the yummiest chicken and festival!  We choose Shaggy's stall, since he claims to have won the jerk festival contest in Miami... I'm not sure how true that is, but we definitely enjoyed his chicken!

The trek back to Kingston was amazing, as it was sunny and beautiful out!  We took pictures of the sights and made it back through the mountains in record time.  That night, for dinner, we went out to the cute outdoor set of restaurants called "Market Place."  The setup is great, because you can sit in the plaza and everyone can order from different restaurants!  That way, you get to combine Japanese with Italian with French with Indian... very unique idea :)

Dinner at Market Place!  Not complete without some tropical drinks :)

We spent Sunday night eating yummy cupcakes and watching the Golden Globes, and recounting our awesome weekend.  My friends didn't want to leave, and I wanted them to stay!  But alas, Monday morning I had to send them back to the snowy NYC!  But definitely one of the best.weekends.ever :)